Which Natural Hormones Affect Your Ability To Lose Weight?

When you have the desire to lose weight, you may be advised to eat healthier and get more exercise. However, there are other factors that can also impact weight loss. The body produces many different hormones that can also determine how successful one is at losing weight. These are some of the natural hormones that affect your ability to lose weight.

Insulin

Insulin is a natural hormone that is produced by the pancreas. It controls the blood sugar levels by sending signals to the cells to absorb nutrients and glucose from the bloodstream. Eating excessive high calorie foods may cause insulin resistance. When this occurs, cells are not able to absorb nutrients and glucose to turn it into energy. Instead it is stored in tissues and then converted into body fat. Therefore, if insulin levels are abnormal, it may be more difficult to lose weight.

Cortisol

Cortisol is a natural stress hormone that is produced by the adrenal gland. In particularly stressful times, the body may produce more cortisol that in turn also raises insulin levels. This makes it more difficult for the body to turn food into energy and losing weight may become much harder to achieve.

Glucagon

Glucagon is a natural hormone that is produced in the intestines. When glucagon levels are high, it helps the body to feel full after eating. This usually helps one to eat less and possibly lose weight. However, increasing glucagon levels is achieved by eating foods that are rich in protein. If foods high in fat and low in protein are regularly consumed, glucagon levels may drop causing one to feel hungry more often, eat more frequently, and gain weight.

Thyroid Hormones

Hormones that are produced in the thyroid help control the body's metabolism. Metabolism is the ability to burn calories into energy. If one has a condition known as hypothyroidism, the thyroid is not producing enough hormones to burn calories into energy properly. This often leads to weight gain and a lack of energy that can hinder the body's ability to exercise to maintain a healthy weight. Those who are diagnosed with hypothyroidism are commonly prescribed medication to help regulate their thyroid hormone levels.

If you have been attempting to lose weight, but have not succeeded even though you are eating healthy and getting exercise, it may be a good idea to see a medical professional. There may be an issue with your hormones that you are not aware of. With proper treatment through hormone control weight loss, it may be possible to get back on the path to obtaining a healthy body weight.

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